In medicine, cholestasis is a condition where bile cannot flow from the liver to the duodenum.

Etiology

• gallstones
• abdominal mass (e.g. cancer)
• primary sclerosing cholangitis, secondary to inflammatory bowel disease
• Primary biliary cirrhosis, secondary to autoimmune disorders
• congential anomalies of the bilary tract
• biliary trauma
• some drugs, (e.g. Flucloxacillin and Erythromycin)
• in children, biliary atresia and other pediatric liver diseases

Symptoms

• Pale stools,
• dark urine,
• itchiness (pruritus) and
• jaundice.

Bile is secreted by the liver to aid in the digestion of fats. Drugs such as gold salts,nitrofurantoin, anabolic steroids, chlorpromazine, prochlorperazine, sulindac, cimetidine, erythromycin, can cause cholestasis and may result in damage to the liver.

See also

• Liver function tests
• Lipoprotein-X - an abnormal low density lipoprotein found in cholestasis

External links

• Drug-induced cholestasis - medlineplus.org
• Cholestasis - emedicine.com
• Liver Families = pediatric liver support group

Gastroenterology | Hepatology

Cholestaza